


Remind Us All of What We Used to Be

by doctornineandthreequarters



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Forgiveness, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Maria Stark's Good Parenting, Memories, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Photographs, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:54:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24003151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: “That’s a lot of boxes, Mister Stark.” Tony was standing in the center of the common room of the Compound, boxes all over the room. He sighed and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck.“Someone moving in?” Peter and Tony were soon joined by Steve, Bucky, Nat and Rhodey“It’s stuff I’ve had in a storage locker for years,” Tony said with a sigh. “Some of it’s mine, some of it's my parents’. Pepper thought I should go through it and decide what to keep and what should go.”---Or, when Tony needs to go through boxes from a storage locker, old memories are dug up for many different people.
Relationships: Howard Stark & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Maria Stark & Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Peggy Carter & Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter & Tony Stark, Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa (mentioned), Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Peggy Carter (past)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 279





	Remind Us All of What We Used to Be

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this story for ages and it's finally time to post it. So, I hope you guys like it!

Tony never knew her name. 

She was at their house more times than he could count, but he didn’t know who she was. His mother was cordial with her, saying a few words. His father claimed they were talking business when they went into his study or workshop. Sometimes, he’d find her having tea with Jarvis or bent over in hushed gossip with Ana.

Tony didn’t know her name, but it was clear she was important to everyone else in the house. 

She walked with an air of confidence. Her hair and red lipstick was always precisely done every time Tony saw her. She was in command of every room she walked into, even if his dad was there (which Tony found impressive). She was poised and polite. And he didn’t even know who she was. 

He remembered the one time they spoke. She was in the kitchen having tea with Jarvis. Tony had wandered in, looking for something to eat. Their conversation cut short when he entered. 

“Anthony, is it?” She addressed him first, the teenager planning to just grab something and go. She had an accent, similar to Jarvis’, making her English.

“I go by Tony.” She smiled politely and nodded. 

“Well, Tony,” She said, the smile still playing across her lips. “Mister Jarvis here tells me you just were accepted into MIT. A big accomplishment for someone your age.”

“That’s what they tell me.” 

“Well, best of luck dear.”

“Thanks, Miss,” Tony’s voice trailed off and he glanced at Jarvis, as if asking for help.

“Carter.” She said with a smile. Tony shrugged apologetically. And then he left the kitchen, Miss Carter and Jarvis’ conversation continuing the moment he was gone.

Tony couldn’t recall if he saw her again after that day. Once he started at MIT, he spent minimal time at home, and when he was home, he was rarely sober. He sometimes wondered if Miss Carter was there at his parents’ or Jarvis’ funeral, but he tried not to think back on those days. He probably wouldn’t have thought about her ever again, if it hadn’t been for the boxes. 

“That’s a lot of boxes, Mister Stark.” Tony was standing in the center of the common room of the Compound, boxes all over the room. He sighed and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. 

“Someone moving in?” Peter and Tony were soon joined by Steve, Bucky, Nat and Rhodey

“It’s stuff I’ve had in a storage locker for years,” Tony said with a sigh. “Some of it’s mine, some of it's my parents’. Pepper thought I should go through it and decide what to keep and what should go.”

“Do you...” Steve’s voice was tentative, as if he felt wrong for asking. “Do you want help?” Behind him stood Bucky. Tony wanted to still be angry over what happened in Siberia, but he just couldn’t be.

“Yeah, sure.” Tony agreed. Everyone spread out, selecting a box or two. Nat and Rhodey paired up, while Steve and Bucky picked the boxes furthest away from Tony. 

“So how do you want us to do this, Tones?” Rhodey asked. 

“Save any pictures so I can digitize them.” Tony said. “Anything SHIELD-based, give to Nat in case Fury wants to look it over. If it looks like an invention, don’t touch it.” Peter gave Tony a look. “My dad had some wacky ideas back in the day. Anything else, we’ll make a junk pile.” Everyone began going through the boxes, the only noise the occasional rustling of cardboard or Peter humming. Tony glanced at the kid and chuckled. He didn’t know how Peter could be enjoying himself with such a menial task.

“Whoa, check this out!” Everyone looked at Peter. He had pulled an old, dusty photo album from the box. Peter squinted at it before blowing some of the dust off it. “Los Angeles, late 1940s. That’s oddly precise.” Tony peered over Peter’s shoulder. 

“Looks like Jarvis’ handwriting.”

“Your old AI?” Tony chuckled and shook his head. 

“He was my family’s butler for many years.” Tony explained with a fond smile. “He had a penchant for organizing things.”

“Why, if your parents had a butler, didn’t you?” Peter asked. “Or don’t you, you know, now?”

“Can’t replace someone like Edwin Jarvis.” Rhodey patted Tony’s shoulder, knowing the fondness Tony had for his former butler. Peter nodded and opened the book. He flipped through a few pages, a smile on his face. 

“See anything interesting, kid?” Rhodey asked.

“Your dad owned a film studio?” Rhodey snorted. “And tried to make a movie about something called Kid Colt?” Steve looked up and nudged Bucky’s shoulder. 

“You loved those comics growing up.” Tony glanced at Bucky, who ducked his head. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself right now. Especially not when Tony was reminiscing about his past.

“He got bored with it after a few years.” Tony said. “I only heard stories about it from Jarvis. By the time he married my mother, he had long forgotten about it.”

“Oh, to be rich and have weird hobbies.” Nat mused with a smirk. “At least yours is useful.”

“I think that was a compliment, double agent.” Tony replied and Nat shrugged. He noticed Peter making a face, trying to read something. “What’s wrong, kid?”

“What’s the SSR?” Steve looked up suddenly. Nat gave him a look and a small smirk crossed Bucky’s face. 

“It stands for Strategic Scientific Reserve.” Steve said.

“It’s what did the experiment on him to... you know.” Bucky explained before pointing at Steve. Tony just held back an eye roll, not feeling the need to remind them that the SSR had needed his dad to perfect that super soldier serum. Peter was still staring at a photo. 

“What are you looking at, kid?” Tony asked. 

“Just trying to figure out who these people are.” Peter said. Tony looked over at the album and smiled a little.

“Well, the tall guy is Jarvis.” Tony said. 

“The butler.” Peter noted and Tony nodded. Maybe another time he could explain why Jarvis was more than just a butler. But that was a conversation just the two of them could have. Not everyone in the room needed to understand that. 

“And that’s his wife Ana.” Tony said with a fond smile. “She was an incredible woman. A fantastic cook, too.” He had always adored Ana as much as he had Jarvis. They were kind to him when his father was cruel and treated him like family. Even on the days when he missed them, Tony knew he was lucky to have them.

“I’m going to assume that’s your dad.” Peter said, pointing to Howard. Tony sighed and nodded. It was always strange seeing his father so young. He never could imagine his father as anything but the cold and calculating presence he had known. “What I’m trying to figure out, is who she is. She doesn’t look like your mom.” 

“And how would you know that?” Tony asked with a smirk. 

“You have a picture of her in your lab,” Peter said with a shrug. “Also, your mom was a blonde and this woman isn’t.” Tony tilted his head, trying to figure out who this woman was. 

And then he remembered her. 

“Oh,” Tony realized, the lightbulb igniting. “She worked with my dad. And seemed pretty close with Jarvis and Ana.”

“Well, she’s holding a file that says SSR on it.” Peter stated, pointing at the picture. Steve’s eyebrows raised at that. Nat noticed, but when he didn’t move, she walked over to Peter. Nat smirked and then patted Peter’s shoulder.

“I think someone in this room might know who she is.” Nat pointedly glanced back at Steve. Tony followed her eyes and bit back a sigh. 

“Come on, Capsicle.” Tony beckoned him over. “Get your eyes on this.” Nat stepped away as Steve walked over. He felt his breath catch in his throat, a sad smile crossing his face. 

“That’s Peggy.” Steve said quietly, looking at the picture. He cleared his throat. “Peggy Carter. She worked for the SSR.” He couldn’t help but stare at her picture. Peggy looked as beautiful as he remembered.

“Was she important to you?” Peter asked. Steve didn’t answer, just continued staring at the picture.

“Stevie was crazy for her.” Bucky revealed. “Thought she hung the moon.”

“She was special.” Steve reflected with a fond smile. “There wasn’t a woman like her.” Peter offered the photo album to Steve, but Steve just shook his head and walked back over to where Bucky was standing. Peter just watched him go, his head tilted slightly. 

“What happened to her?” Steve sighed. 

“I don’t totally know.” Steve admitted. “By the time I-you know-got off the ice and found her, Peggy already had dementia. I found some information, but not much.”

“Maybe there’s something in these boxes.” Peter suggested. “Clearly, she and Mister Stark’s dad were close.” Peter looked at Tony. Tony glanced at Peter, whose eyes were shining with that youthful optimism the kid was so famous for. Tony didn’t want to admit how much it hurt to know that Steve probably had a better relationship with his dad over the two years they knew each other than Tony did his whole life. But he couldn’t be bitter or angry forever. He tried that for far too long and now, he wanted to wipe away the corrosion on his heart. 

“Well, you all heard the kid.” Tony declared. “Let’s see what we can find out about Peggy Carter.” Tony pulled photo albums out and handed them to each person. When he noticed Bucky hesitantly hold his hand out, Tony just offered him a nod. Everyone grew silent, just the sound of old photo album pages being flipped.

“There’s more of her in here.” Peter spoke up. “It seems like they were all in Los Angeles for some time.”

“My dad had places all over the country.” Tony explained. “But my mom said he spent a few years in Los Angeles before finally deciding on Malibu.” Steve looked at some of the pictures Peter was holding up. There were shots of Peggy with Howard, Peggy with Jarvis and Ana, and shots of her with a man leaning on a cane.

“Who’s he?” Peter asked. “Because he’s in a lot of photos.” Steve didn’t answer, staring at the photo of Peggy with this unknown man. He was smiling at Peggy, looking at her in a way Steve imagined he once did. He looked up when he heard the slamming of a photo album. As he looked around, everyone seemed normal. 

And then his eyes fell on Bucky. 

Bucky was avoiding everyone’s eyes, a guilty look on his face. And the photo album in his hands was no longer open. 

“Buck,” Steve called, getting his attention. “What’s going on?”

“N-nothing.” Steve raised his eyebrows at that. “There’s definitely no pictures of Peggy in this album. Nope. Definitely not.” As Steve approached him, Bucky moved the photo album behind his back. 

“Buck.” Bucky just shrugged. But, since he wasn’t paying attention, Nat was able to grab the photo album. She quickly opened it, wondering why Bucky was acting so weird. She then quickly closed the book. “Okay, now both of you are acting weird.” Steve walked over to Nat. 

“You really don’t want to see this.” Nat said gently. Steve gave her a look and she sighed before handing it over to him. He opened the photo album, wondering what was inside. 

A sad look crossed Steve’s face when he realized why his friends were acting so odd. 

“Captain Rogers?” Peter asked, noticing his change in mood. “Is everything okay?” Tony walked over to see what Steve was looking at. And once he saw, he immediately knew why Steve looked so sad. 

They were wedding photos. Some had his father (surrounded by a bevy of women), some had Jarvis and Ana, some had all three of them, but all of them had Peggy in them, in a gorgeous wedding gown. There was even a group photo of her kissing her groom, who was the man with the cane from the album Peter had originally found.

“Cap,” Tony started and Steve sighed. 

“I knew Peggy got married.” Steve admitted quietly. “I just...I didn’t really know about it.”

“I’m sorry, Cap.” Steve just nodded, closing the photo album. He had enough reminiscing for the day. 

“Thanks for letting me help out, Tony.” Steve said. “I think I’m gonna go for a jog.” He started to walk away. When Steve was nearly out of the room, he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Bucky. 

“Mind if I join ya, pal?”

“Really?”

“‘Til the end of the line.” Steve smiled at that. 

“Thanks, Buck.” And then the two left the room. Tony watched them go. He wondered how difficult it was for Steve to find out so much about the people he left behind. He wondered if they plagued Steve’s mind or if not knowing what happened to them was better. In a way, it helped him understand the super soldier better. 

“Hey, Mister Stark!” He was brought out of his thoughts by Peter’s overeager voice. “Look! It’s you.” Peter held up a baby picture of Tony. “You were so tiny.”

“Were?” Rhodey questioned with a smirk and Tony rolled his eyes. The picture was of Tony, wrapped up in a hospital blanket, in his mother’s arms. He smiled at that. It was in those moments that he missed her. But it was also in those moments when Tony wondered why his parents even married; why his father, a notorious playboy in his own right, finally settled down, or why his mother, who had to have known Howard Stark’s reputation, chose to marry him. But then he thought about Steve and what he had gone through seeing Peggy’s wedding pictures. 

Maybe it was better not answering every question. 

“She was a wonderful woman.” Tony smiled. “Inside and out.” Peter nodded. “Although, now that you’ve seen me as a baby, it’s only fair I see some of your baby pictures. Think Aunt Hottie will show me a few?”

“Mister Stark!” Peter’s ears turned red and Tony chuckled. “You’re the worst.” Tony shrugged and patted Peter’s shoulder. When he noticed that Peter was still pouting, he pulled the kid into a side hug. 

“How about I make it up to you by letting you see some pictures of my MIT days?” Tony offered as Peter looked up at him. “I bet they’re in these boxes somewhere.” Peter smiled at that, putting the album down to fully hug Tony. Tony chuckled and hugged him back before letting go. 

“If you find those, let me know.” Rhodey requested. “Because I’ve got a lot of embarrassing stories to go with them.”

“Oh, these I have to hear.” Nat chuckled.

“Just as long as you all sort through the stuff, alright?” Rhodey laughed and nodded as he and Nat continued going through the boxes. Peter was looking through more albums, definitely searching for Tony’s MIT days. Tony just shook his head, opening up the album Peter had been holding. As he flipped through, he wasn’t surprised to find a picture of Peggy holding him. Maybe he never knew her name, but it was clear she had been an integral part in his and Steve’s lives. And just maybe knowing that would help really fix things that he thought had been irrevocably broken. 

Tony smiled, feeling lighter than he had since Siberia and finally realizing things were going to be okay for all of them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


End file.
